By: Salem Kirby, Executive Director
Sometimes, the best ideas start with a simple question: How can we make it easier for families to connect?
That’s exactly the question our High Point team recently set out to answer. As a growing community, we had been hearing two things from families: navigating registration, forms, and scholarship applications could be challenging, and members wanted more opportunities to get together between programs. Our families wanted more ESP so we brainstormed and got creative, developing two new ways for families to connect with ESP and each other.
ESP After Hours offers casual meet-ups around the Triad where families can spend time together without a formal program or registration fee. Families simply cover their own purchases, and ESP provides the opportunity to connect. By bringing these gatherings to places like Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and surrounding communities, the team hopes to make connections more accessible to families wherever they live.
ESP Office Hours will give families designated times to drop by the ESP office without an appointment. Whether they need help navigating CampSite, completing a scholarship application, renewing forms, registering for a program, or simply figuring out where to start, someone from the team will be there to help.
Everything is better with ice cream!
The first ESP After Hours took place at Buddy Scoops in Winston Salem, an ice cream shop that employs people with disabilities. I wasn’t sure what to expect and actually told the team to bring their laptops just in case the evening turned into an impromptu work session.
Instead, families showed up simply because they wanted to be together.
We had the chance to connect with families, spend time with Buddy Scoops employees, and enjoy the kind of informal conversation that helps a community grow.
Then came a moment that captured exactly what ESP After Hours was designed to do.
One family attending the gathering hadn’t connected with ESP since Launch Week. The mother shared that she simply hadn’t gotten around to completing the New Family Meeting, an important step toward participating in ESP programs. Mabelle opened her laptop and helped her complete the meeting right there, over a scoop of ice cream. By the end of the evening, they had already made plans to attend the next Family Dinner, and that they did!
What began as a casual get-together became an opportunity to remove a barrier, build a relationship, and help a family take its next step with ESP.
Listening, Learning, and Showing Up
Our first ESP Office Hours brought another example of what it looks like to innovate possibilities for our families. A new member received help navigating paperwork, we reconnected with a dear friend and member we hadn’t seen since summer, and a mom stopped by for assistance completing scholarship paperwork.
None of these moments required an elaborate program or a carefully planned activity. They required us to be present, listen, and respond to what our families needed.
Sometimes, creating belonging looks like a big celebration. Other times, it looks like helping with paperwork, reconnecting over ice cream, or making space for a conversation. Each moment strengthens relationships, removes barriers, and reminds our families that ESP is here to do life with them, not just provide programs for them.
